Yearly Strength Programming: POWER Phase

Truly understanding power can unlock extreme amounts of potential and create captivating gymnastics moments. Think back to the first time you saw Simone do her triple double; the breathtaking moment where she seems to break the confines of reality. She isn’t just catapulting through the air, though she does, I’m talking about that moment she seems to defy gravity. The ‘aha moment’, the gymnastics moment. I like to remind athletes about the first time they truly understood the set for a back tuck and felt themselves do this very thing. Or the perfect triple full - suspended in the air, with fluid control over the manipulation of this robot suit you inhabit. 

In order to create the illusion of defying gravity, in hopes of fostering play within this moment of pure joy, we must train power - specifically the moment of exchange between concentric (muscle shortening) and eccentric (muscle lengthening) contractions. The speed of this exchange determines many variables within gymnastics. 

Power = Force x Velocity (P = FxV). Based on this chart’s progression, we just finished our strength phases where we focused on the force side of the equation, working to increase muscles’ ability to produce force; now we must turn the spotlight on velocity. Velocity = Distance/Time (V = d/t). Power, like strength, is the athletes' ability to exert force against a resistance; however, it is unique in that power focuses on speed and the time it takes to exert that force. 

Velocity can be increased almost immediately simply with increased attention. “Run faster” leads to an immediate improvement in a vault; “get your arms up quicker” instantly changes the trajectory of the flip and decreases the amplitude deduction. However, these corrections can get lost in application if the athlete’s body is not primed and ready to move faster; if there are areas of leaked energy. The speed of these can also be trained both mechanically - through the musculoskeletal system, and electrically - through the central nervous system and brain, in order to cultivate peak performance outcomes. 

Before beginning a power phase, athletes must demonstrate proper control and alignment with exercises - first unweighted and then with increasing resistance. When beginning to work on power, be sure to unload the exercises and build up the resistance slowly. Emphasis should be on speed over weight. Athletes are trying to complete as many repetitions as possible in a given amount of time or they are trying to complete a set number of repetitions as quickly as possible. Many of the same exercises can be used from the strength phase with a slight decrease in percentage of 1RM (one repetition max) to 65-75%, or 6.5-7.5 RPE (rate of perceived exertion) on a self-reporting 1-10 scale.

Rebounding and blocking require a high rate of power to perform efficiently and safely, but gymnasts require power for just about every part of gymnastics. One example of the concentric eccentric exchange within gymnastics is the calf (gastroc-soleus complex) during transition from the back handspring to the set for a flip on floor. 

In honor of Ms. Frizzle, let’s take our magic school bus through this moment of exchange. We will begin in the air after leaving our hands in the back handspring and examine the processes occurring between feet touching down and taking off to set for a flip. As the feet make contact with the floor, the calves begin to elongate with increasing load through the stretched muscles. While this occurs, energy from below us is pushing back with an equal and opposite amount of force (ground reaction force). When the force moving down into our feet (base of support), and the matching opposing ground reaction force become too great for the ankle complex to withstand, a special signaler called the Golgi Tendon Organ will alert the body to this impending danger. These Golgi Tendon Organs exist within our tendons, (the connectors of muscle to bone) and function to determine when the stretch of a muscle has reached its threshold and could potentially tear. When signaled, they create a reflexive (automatic, involuntary) shortening action and thus reverse the elongation, transitioning the contraction in the calf from eccentric to concentric. 

As the energy moves up the chain from the ground through our concentrically contracting calves into our torso and arms, the speed and accuracy of positioning our chest, arms, and head will determine the direction of launch. Any leakage of energy will slow down the process and change the trajectory. Picture that “backyard back tuck” where you see the smooth curve of the back handspring turn into an exorcism before they somehow lift their knee over fast enough to land safely; or the new level 4 trying a front handspring vault, contacting and immediately collapsing into their shoulders and back. These actions demonstrate a lack of power to overcome the impact force quickly enough to create the desired shapes and repulsions. To train rebounding and blocking, we must train power. 

Even when injured, power can be enhanced, because the aspect of speed encompasses both the rate of muscle contraction and reaction time. When examining reaction time we must consider the rate at which a sensory stimuli (any information from our senses about our environment) travels to the brain, is processed through algorithms of learned knowledge and lived experience to select a response, and the appropriate response map information is sent back to the involved structures within the body. These pathways are like trails through the woods, the more traveled they are, the more clear and unobstructed they become. This is where practice and gaming become paramount to performance training, even with injury limitations. 

While I will forever remain loyal to Whac-A-Mole, I highly recommend any version of this game. These days there are endless options for flashing lights and other game activities requiring the hitting of a button after a stimulus of color or light. If an athlete cannot complete an assignment due to an injury, any exercise can be modified to a lower level and a secondary reaction speed activity added for increased challenge and velocity training. Activities tapping more directly into the brain and entire network of the central nervous system provide us with exponential potential for growth and should be used with all athletes, but is an especially great tool to lean on during times of decreased load due to injury or illness.

In training, we have often looked solely at the mechanical side of training - stretching muscles for increased length, lifting our bodies to increase strength; but all movement includes electrical signals. We are both mechanical and electrical machines concurrently. It is not a question of which one; both must be trained for the greatest power potential.